IV. The structure of the two great ways of Religion (Tangaza)

IV. The structure of the two great ways of Religion

15.       What does Jean Daniélou say about Christianity in contrast to the great non-Christian religions?

    

 In the point of view of Daniélou, Christianity is a historical religion. It is concerned with experiences of God in our history. Yet great non-Christian religions show a dualism between two worlds (ours opposed to the eternal one). {Bertin Bouda 12092]

Jean Daniélou asserts that Christianity is essentially faith in an event, whereas the great non-Christian religion maintain the existence of an eternal world, that “stands in opposition to the world of time” [Anthony Musonda - 12010]

Jean Daniélou stresses that Christianity “is essentially faith in an event”, whereas the great non-Christian religions maintain the existence of an eternal world “that stands in opposition to the world of time. The fact of the eternal breaking into time, which gives it duration and turns it into history, is unknown to them.” [Deem Virtundazo 12133T]

He says that Christianity is essentially faith in an event, i.e the faith is based on the fact that God acts in the history. The relationship between man and God enables in time and space (Jean Luc A. 12111T]

                    I.            Christianity is faith in an event or faith in history

                  II.            Her believers are founded and believe on the word

                III.            They stand a higher and better place than any great and good ascetics

                IV.            They are the servants of the incarnated word

                  V.            It makes no significance even if one is good in asceticism without believing and obeying the word of Christ, everything becomes absolutely nothing and baseless.  

[Josphat Okemwa 12144 T]

Christianity is essentially faith in an event, whereas non-Christianity religions maintain the existence of an eternal world that stands in opposition to the world of time.[Dominic Makau 12061 T]






16.       Mention the obvious difference between the patriarchs and prophets of Israel and the great founders of East Asian religions. What does this say about the structure of the way of mysticism and belief in one God?

The patriarchs and the prophets of Israel are obviously different from the founders of East Asian Religions. The patriarchs and the prophets had nothing extraordinary to human life; they attempted to relate to God in their weaknesses. However, the masters of East Asian religions are seen as holy and sublime peoples. Mysticism in Christianity is a grace given by God to encourage us in our faith that is an answer to God’s self-revelation {Bertin Bouda 12092]

The religious personalities of Israel (Abraham, Isaac Jacob and Moses) are less attractive in their human excellence as compared to their East Asian counterparts (Buddha, Confucius, and Lao Tzu). This says a lot about God’s will to reveal himself to man without the former’s merit. Thus, here we can talk about a mysticism that is biblical. The images previously held are replaced in Israel’s monotheism by revealed word. And revelation is not as a result of men’s ascent to purity by way of contemplation but an act of God. God invites man to act in his divine plan of salvation. This makes man an actor in history but God is still the master of truth and time [Anthony Musonda - 12010]

In patriarchs and prophets: God seeks out man in the midst of his worldly and earthly connections and relationships, God comes to man of his own volition and enters to relationship with him while the great founders of East Asian religion: man does not make his own attempts to rise, passing through the various levels of being to the innermost and most spiritual level, thus to seek out the divine in its own place. Biblical mysticism is not a mysticism of images but of words and that its revelation is not contemplation by man but the word and the act of God. Its meaning is, not that divine reality becomes visible to man, but that it makes the person who receives the revelation into an actor in divine history. In contrast to mysticism, God is the one who acts, and it is He who brings salvation to man [Deem Virtundazo 12133T]

The obvious difference is that, we can see those patriarchs and prophets of Israel seek God in darkness of his ordinary life but not like the great founders of East Asian religions who sought God in the great mystics (Jean Luc A. 12111T]

Both the patriarchs and the prophets prove to portray an aspect of being aggressive, impatient, cruel, ill-tempered, use harsh and scaring words, like violence, punish the evil doers even by condemning them. They portray their God as watchdog, mistake finder and ready to exclude or do away with however proves to be waywardly behaving. On the side, the Asiatic religion founders prove to be committed, pious, accommodative, peaceful, welcoming, forgiving, regard high moral and ethical standards, and ever remain within the realms of meditative and contemplative mood [Josphat Okemwa 12144 T]

The covenant event.[Dominc Makau 12061T]

17.       Why does Christianity not recognise the distinction between “first hand religion” and the “second hand religion” as viewed by mysticism?

It does not recognize –since Christianity does not distinguish between two kinds of religion, between the possession of religious reality and mere borrowed piety that has to do with symbols because the power of mystical absorption is lacking. [Nicodemus Rono 12128 T]

What mysticism presents has no validity in Christianity, it could be objected that in Christianity too there is a distinction between the saint and the ordinary worshipper, between the mystic and the ordinary believer, for whom the direct experience of God is inaccessible [Elizabeth Akoth 12147 T]

It's because in mysticism the mystic is indeed the possessor of religion. Everyone else is secondhand.But in divine call each is called in the same way. God alone deals at firsthand. All men deal as second-hand without exception as servants of divine word [Jovith Kweyamba - 12110]

Christianity not recognise the distinction between first hand and second hand religion because Christianity stresses on Divine call rather one’s own religious experience [Cipriano Cajanja 12002 T]

it is because so far as the decisive thing in approaching God is not one’s religious experience but God’s gratuitous gift, all men without exception are servants of the divine call [Dominic Wambui 12070 T?]

In Christianity there is distinction between saint and ordinary worshiper, mystic and the ordinary believer, for whom direct experience of God is inaccessible. If I regard the mysticism as the essential thing then everything else becomes secondary. But if the decisive thing is the divine call, then everyone who believes in that call is in the same situation. While in mystical religion the mystic has firsthand and the believer secondhand religion, God alone deals with the firsthand experience. All of us have secondhand experience thus we are the servants of divine call. [Kodato 12080 T]

In Christianity the distinction between the ordinary worshiper and the mystic is present but unlike in Mysticism, this is secondary. This does not distinguish between two kinds of religions but two aspects of the same faith. The most important thing here is not one’s own religious experience but the divine call, which puts all those who believe in it in the same category. God is the only one who takes the front seat and thus ‘first hand’ and all people are ‘second hand.’ [Martin Ikiao 12046 T]

-The distinction between “first hand religion” and the “second hand religion” is not recognised by Christianity as viewed by mysticism due to the fact that; it has no validity within it (within Christianity). It could at once be objected that in Christianity, too, there is a distinction between the saint and the ordinary worshipper, between the mystic and the ordinary believer, for whom the direct experience of God is inaccessible. There is no doubt that this distinction exists, but it is secondary. It does not distinguish between two kinds of religion, between the possession of religious reality and mere borrowed piety that has to make do with symbols because the power of mystical absorption is lacking  [JOSEPH  LAURIAN  MMASI  -12124T]. 


18.       In brief, what is the place of Christianity in the history of religions?

      Christianity holds the history of religions to be a genuine history, a path whose direction is progressive and whose attitude we call hope. [Nicodemus Rono 12128 T]

   We are all a single history that is in many different fashions on the way towards God. For Christian faith, Christian religion is a circle of what is endlessly the same, never touching the essential thing, which itself ever remain outside history rather, the Christian holds the history of religions to be a genuine history, to the path of progress and whose attitude we call hope [Elizabeth Akoth 12147 T]

Christianity is apart of a single history that is in many different fashions  on the way toward God. It holds the history of religions as true  and genuine, to be a path whose direction we call progress and whose attitude we call hope [Jovith Kweyamba - 12110]

    The place of Christianity in the history of religions is to hold the history of religions to be a genuine history, to be a path whose directions we call progress and whose attitude we call hope [Cipriano Cajanja 12002 T]

   

it is part of a single history that is in many different fashions on the way toward God [Dominic Wambui 12070 T?]

Christian faith in the history of religion is not a circle of what is endlessly the same with other religions. Christian holds the history of religions to be a genuine history, i.e., progress and hope. Through every failure and human discord, the end of history is being fulfilled.[CHANIKYA KODAT 12080T]

We are all a part of a single history that is in many different fashions on the way toward God [Martin Ikiao 12046 T]

      By looking on the place of Christianity in the history of religion, you can see that what unites it with them should not be forgotten: that they are all part of a single history that is in many different fashion on the way toward God. [JOSEPH  LAURIAN  MMASI  -12124T].